by Coaster Junior​As I continue to read articles about Halloween haunts and trails and events, one thing continues to pop up that has really concerned me this year. Every day that I look for a story on Halloween, the one thing that always pops up is another story of someone complaining about the blood, goriness, and inappropriateness of many of the events that take place in the theme parks throughout the country. Enough is enough people! Halloween is known for bringing the undead to life and brining our scariest fantasies to reality. I was just recently reading an article about a grandmother who took her grandson to Six Flags Great America and she as appalled at what she was a part of. She immediately complained that the entire park was themed after Halloween and there were scare actors roaming around the entire park. She also complained that those characters would chase after kids, adults, and even the older folks with a fake chainsaw. She said that there was terror in the eyes of the children and that they could be traumatized after spending too much time around it.

Here is my response to this. This is absolutely absurd. First of all the park advertises this time in the park as being Fright Fest. This is not an ordinary operating day at the Six Flags park and granted, the rides and attractions are open to the public, but it is designated as a Halloween event. Six Flags warns on their website that Fright Fest may not be suitable for children under the age of 12 and that there would be scenes and actors that could scare throughout the day. The park even goes as far to say that in the morning, it operates just as they would on any other day and in the afternoon, the park begins to transform into the fright event. I do not understand where she has the right to complain about scary actors dressed up in outfits during a Halloween event.

Many of the parks throughout the country do a Halloween event. Halloween is one of the most interactive holidays and allows people to show a different side of them and enjoy the dark side of the world. Trick or Treat and Halloween costume parties have been around for centuries and the parks make a ton of money each year just on these weekend events alone. We know this has to be true or they would not put so much work and money into it each and every year. Cedar Fair parks have great events called Haunt and Halloweekends where scareactors are out and about, guests can walk through scare zones and even multiple haunted houses. Each of the parks has Halloween shows that are sometimes very gruesome or maybe distasteful, but the park always has a warning system ahead of time. Even the smaller, locally-owned parks are doing Halloween events because they are so popular. Everyone who is complaining about the material-unfriendly mood of the parks needs to understand that there are also family-friendly Halloween events at most of these parks and attendance at those may be better suited for them.

To make a long story short, the simplest answer is that if you do not want to be scared and you do not want your children exposed to ghouls, goblins, zombies, and witches, just do not go to the parks around the Halloween season. With this, you will have nothing to complain about. Ohhhhh…..and May the Queue Lines Be Ever In Your Favor.